Based on South Korea’s current COVID-19 conditions remaining favorable to their newly implemented social distancing and preventive measures, USFK decided to lower its current health protection condition from “Charlie” to “Bravo” effective Wednesday, May 20 at 6 a.m. for all areas except Area II (+) which will remain in HPCON Charlie for the time being.

USFK defines Area II (+) as the greater Seoul metropolitan area including the immediate region southward to just above Suwon; the exact boundary is viewable on USFK’s interact hotspot map located at www.usfk.mil.

Authorized HPCON Bravo activities includes seated dining at restaurants, shopping and outdoor activities while maintaining social awareness and wearing a mask when 1-2 meters separation cannot be achieved.

The USFK Commander has renewed the current Public Health Emergency for an additional 30 days effective today. It will remain in effect through May 23, unless it is renewed or terminated before then.

USFK declared the initial PHE on March 25, and it expired at midnight on April 23.

The decision to renew the PHE does not change USFK’s current health protection condition, preventive mitigation measures being taken, or indicate an increased risk level on USFK installations.

The USFK community has successfully followed control measures put in place to protect the force. This is evident in the less than 1% infection rate among our population of 58,000, however the risk of COVID-19 remains.

Despite USFK’s low infection rate, a select few individuals chose to not follow or adhere to the strict control measures. To date, the USFK commander has ordered seven non-uniformed USFK-affiliated individuals barred from all USFK installations for two years for violating existing preventive control measures during the declared PHE.

USFK remains committed to providing a robust combined defense posture while maintaining a “Fight Tonight” readiness to protect the Republic of Korea against any adversary or threat while implementing and maintaining prudent preventive control measures to protect the force.

The USFK Public Health Emergency Renewal Memo:

USFK Public Health Emergency Renewal Graphic:

April 22, 2020

Effective April 20, Secretary Esper approved an extension to the stop move order through June 30 to aid in the further prevention of the spread of COVID-19.

All DoD service members and civilians, and their family members will stop all official travel – such as Permanent Change of Station or Temporary Duty.

Exceptions may be given for compelling cases where the travel is: (1) determined to be mission essential; (2) necessary for humanitarian reasons; or (3) warranted due to extreme hardship.

Please reach out to your chain of command to request an exception to policy.

Click here for DoD guidance, helpful information, and an infographic on the update.

April 16, 2020

Due to the hard work of the City of Daegu, USAG Daegu, and 19th ESC, the USFK Commander has declared that the Daegu area is no longer a Hot Spot off-limits area, effective 15 April 2020 at 4:00 PM. Current HPCON measures and local restrictions still apply.

April 10, 2020

Effective today, to the extent practical all individuals on USFK installations will wear cloth face coverings or masks when they cannot maintain six feet of social distance in public areas or work centers.

Effective tomorrow - Saturday, April 11 - all individuals on USFK installations will be required to wear a cloth face coverings or mask in the Commissary, PX/BX, Shoppette, Food Court and Post Office during HPCON C and C+; cloth face coverings or masks will be worn at all times outside of residence during HPCON D.

Individuals in uniform may use service-issued balaclavas, neck gaiters, or cravats; black or white mask/N95 mask; or, other cloth covering that conforms to the CDC guidelines and is conservative in appearance/color (tan, black, brown, or OD green). Civilians may use any color to meet the requirement.

In addition, as a courtesy and sign of solidarity with our host nation communities, all USFK personnel are encouraged to wear cloth face coverings or masks when off installation; the face covering is a visible sign of our commitment to combatting COVID-19 and testament to US-ROK Alliance.

USFK has acquired 130K masks and will begin issuing them - two per member of USFK - next week for use.

March 26, 2020

To our USFK Community, a letter from our command team. The Public Health Emergency was not in response to an increased threat or spread of COVID-19. It was to ensure commanders have the ability to enforce total force compliance to #ProtectTheForce, #StopTheSpread and #KILLtheVirus

Due to the decline in COVID-19 cases in Cheonan city, USFK has removed travel restrictions for the area. Personnel residing in Cheonan who were previously deemed non-mission essential should contact their command prior to returning to work.

March 10, 2020

The continued spread of COVID-19 cases in the Republic of Korea and areas surrounding USFK have affected our community. Due to this continued spread, USFK has designated multiple locations and areas as "hotspots" - public places visited by COVID-19 positive cases - to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Similar to designating Daegu as a USFK hotspot, USFK has designated Cheonan as its most recent hotspot. USFK personnel, including service members, families, DoD and KN civilian employees, and contractors living in Cheonan should follow these steps:

- USFK personnel living in Cheonan are temporarily deemed non-mission essential and will not report for duty unless authorized by an 0-6 or higher

- USFK personnel deemed mission essential will travel directly to and from work

- Those with authorized installation access retain privileges to conduct essential activities such as grocery shopping

- Minimize exposure to large groups

- Minimize use of mass transit and limit activity within the hotspot to necessary activities

We all have a personal responsibility to do our part to contain the spread of the virus and protect each other, and this requires everyone's total commitment to stop the spread of COVID-19.

March 9, 2020

A USFK Korean National contracted construction worker, who works at Camp Walker, tested positive for COVID-19, making this the eighth USFK-related person to be confirmed with the virus.

The employee is currently in isolation at his off-base residence as directed by KCDC.

KCDC and USFK health professionals are actively conducting contact tracing to determine whether anyone else may have been exposed.

USFK remains at risk level “high” peninsula-wide and is implementing all appropriate control measures to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 as a prudent measure to protect the force.

Additional information will be provided by USAG-Daegu and Area IV as it becomes available.

Novel Coronavirus Facts:

The 2019 novel coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV, is a new respiratory virus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The novel coronavirus is a new virus and part of a large group of viruses that infect people and while normally causing a mild respiratory disease - such as the common cold - it can potentially be deadly. Signs and symptoms of this coronavirus illness include fever, cold spells, cough, difficulty breathing, chills and muscle pains. Be advised that this is cold and flu season, and the coronavirus shares similar symptoms to both these illnesses.

* Person-to-person spreads mainly via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how influenza and other respiratory pathogens spread.

* Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure

* No vaccine or treatment but current mortality rate is low

* Recovery for average healthy adult is 7-14 days

* Greatest risk is to elderly and young or those who have complicated medical problems

Preventive Measure Tips/Guidelines:

* If you are feeling fine and not sick, you can go to work, school, play outdoors, etc. and continue with your daily routines.

* However, if you are feeling sick or ill, do not come to work and follow the below guidelines:

- Seek US medical care/treatment if you are feeling sick, experiencing fever, cough or difficulty breathing; be sure to call

ahead to the medical clinic to advise them of recent travels and current symptoms.

- Wear a surgical mask or cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing.

- Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and